Arctic ice melt - 03/26/2016

Arctic Ice – 03/26/2016

Harold Hensel – via Facebook

Both sides of Svalbard have open water. 

There are two, about 50 mile across, pieces breaking lose on the left side of Svalbard. 

Think of a town 50 miles away to get a perspective of their size. 

Again, why am I posting these images so frequently? Because this may be the most important event in human history. 

With the Arctic Ocean ice free, a tremendous amount of heat will be absorbed from the sun and will be added to the tremendous amount of heat that is already flowing into the Arctic from the Gulf Steam and Arctic rivers. 

A warmer Arctic ocean also enhances the thawing of the permafrost on land. If just 1% of the methane in the methane hydrate's and sediments on the Arctic Ocean floor thaw, huge amounts of methane will be released into the atmosphere. 

The stability of our climate will be overwhelmed. 

https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov/…